Marja Kostamo says of herself, “At 21 years of age I was desperate. The chaos and uncertainty of our lives was making me lose my mind. I cried out to God and He asked me for one hour a day with Him. How do I find an hour in my already endless, crazy day? What… Read more: I Woke Up to a Dream!

In the Gospels we see on more than one occasion that as soon as Jesus showed up, demonic forces would panic. His presence was enough to cause them to begin to lose their grip on people’s minds and bodies. Recently, during a weekend workshop on the topic of the person and gifts of the Holy Spirit, one of the participants confided in my wife and me. She told us that she had almost checked herself into the psychiatric ward of a local hospital that day due to the voices in her head that were urging her to self-harm… Read more

We visited Shelly Olson, a busy mother of four, during a trip across Canada this summer. Shelly is one of the few people who has not forgotten the art of letter writing. My wife told me that she can write a letter while simultaneously singing to her children. Since my brain runs on exactly one… Read more: Listening to Jesus and the Love of God

Sometimes people ask “How can I know that I am hearing God correctly?” There are a lot of ways to answer this question. We can talk about ways to test what we have heard from the Lord. (We cover this in week 3 of the Listening to God course). Or, we can also talk about… Read more: How Can I Know That I’m Hearing God Correctly?

While Anna was still very young, her parents took her with them as they ministered to the sick and demonically oppressed. For Anna, praying for healing and deliverance was a normal part of Christian life. However, in this story she shares an experience that ended in a disappointment. Anna says… From the ages of 12… Read more: The Sleep Talker

For my current writing project, I have had the privilege of interviewing a diverse group of godly people from around the world. For the next few issues of the Listening to God Newsletter, I plan to share some stories from these interviews.  But first a word of background. The book in progress is tentatively called… Read more: An Unusual Deliverance

Hugh Knowlton, a participant in a recent Listening to God cohort, shares two dramatic warnings he received from God. When I was 21, I had recently taken a Bible class which taught me that the Bible is the Word of God and can be trusted. I had met the Lord when I was around 7… Read more: Accident Warnings

People sometimes ask about teaching kids how to hear God’s voice. Grace K, a participant in one of the Listening to God cohorts, shared the following story. Benji hears from God One of my main goals in taking the Listening to God class was to be better equipped to teach my three sons. Even though… Read more: Benji Hears From God

Our washing machine went on the blink right before a nine-day local holiday. The machine was showing a “door close” error and refused to wash our clothes. I called a technician in who tested the door close switch and, finding it not to be the problem, told me that the main circuit board needed replacing.… Read more: The Broken Washing Machine

My friend Jonathan writes… I was visiting a house church in Michigan with some friends. We had just received news that we did not get the five-year visa for South Asia that we were hoping for. Instead, we only got a one-year visa. This was difficult news, but we were trusting God that he would… Read more: Dissonance

My friend Aaron shared a couple of stories for this post. By way of background, Aaron used to work in a developing nation. Approaching Burnout It had been a tough few months. I was on the verge of burnout and desperately needed a break to recharge. My family was looking forward to some vacation time.… Read more: Listening During Times of Stress

Recently, my mind has been drawn to an email from my friend EM. With EM’s permission, I’m including the main points of his email and my reactions below them. His email is in regular text and my responses are in italics. EM friend wrote… I’ve been seeing an increase in listening prayer in our community… Read more: Hearing God and Hamburger Helper

I asked my friend Zahid to tell his story this month. Although Zahid is not a Christian, he had a very meaningful experience. I believe his story needs to be shared. Background I am Zahid. I’ve worked at several private organizations in South Asia for about 14 years. Recently, I worked for five and a… Read more: A Powerful Story of Forgiveness

A couple of months ago, one of my readers shared a post by the musician Dominic Balli with me. I tracked Dominic down and asked permission to share his post with my readers. He kindly agreed. But first, a little about Dominic, abbreviated from his church’s website. Dominic grew up in church knowing about Jesus but… Read more: I Want to Make Music Again

Today we have a submission from a reader who recently immigrated from Asia to Australia. He writes…  I want to share a story about a time when I was struggling with financial loss. After changing countries and moving to a place where having a vehicle was a huge need, I wanted to buy a vehicle.… Read more: The Worst Decision of My Life

This blog is about walking with Jesus. This means learning to pay attention to the promptings of the Holy Spirit (John 10:3-5; 14:16-17). It means learning to do the things he commanded his disciples to do (Matthew 10:7-8; 28:20). And, of course, walking with Jesus means loving your neighbor, practicing forgiveness, and learning to share… Read more: What’s this blog all about again?

We have another great submission from one of our course participants. Laizu helped me lead a Listening to God cohort in July and August. During the session on inner healing, we talked about the importance of forgiveness. The following week, Laizu shared the story below. She kindly gave me permission to use it here. Laizu says… … Read more: Forgiveness and Healing

This month we have another great submission from one of our readers. Enjoy! Juli writes…  Another Transition Our family has worked in Latin America since 2014, but right now we are finishing up our home assignment in Germany. At the end of our last term in Ecuador, we were open to hearing from God about our… Read more: Following the Good Shepherd

Agents of Healing, was released last week. Rather than tell you all about it, let me just share a story from chapter 2 and then state my conviction. The Fever’s Gone! One day as I left our apartment to get something from a nearby shop, Jewel, one of the guards, greeted me in the deep… Read more: Agents of Healing Released

A reader shared this touching story.  Infertility The Lord began to speak to me about children even before I accepted his call to serve him. After we got married, however, we faced the problem of infertility. Many wounds formed in our hearts because of this, but the Lord was speaking to me to remain faithful… Read more: An Invitation to Believe

Several days ago, I spent some time praying about what to write in this post. That night, just as I was laying my head on my pillow, several Bible passages came to mind. I jotted them down before I went to sleep. Here they are with some thoughts about each one.  The Kingdom of God… Read more: Desire and the Kingdom of God

Sometimes the Lord’s word to a person individually has an application to a broader group of people. In this post, I share some of the words the Lord has given me over the past several weeks.  Background I was starting a computer training program in Asia. The journey has been a little bumpier than I… Read more: Don’t Give Up

In this post, one of our readers shares her story of abandonment and healing.  Childhood Trauma I was just four years old when my dad went abroad to work for the first time. After he left, I didn’t see him again for two years. I didn’t understand then what harm his absence would bring into… Read more: Please Don’t Leave Me

I was in a minivan with colleagues, traveling to a conference. On the way, I got a call from my lawyer about my work permit application. He said that my application had been forwarded to the authorities concerned and they would decide whether to grant it in their bimonthly meeting that was coming up in… Read more: Dealing With Doubts and Fears

When people speak of God’s voice through circumstances, they normally mean open and closed doors. If a door is open, they assume God is leading them to take a step through that door. If the door is closed, they assume God is telling them to do something else. This is NOT what I’m talking about… Read more: The Driver With a Photographic Memory

Last month I was reading the book of Zechariah during my devotions. Zechariah had to ask a lot of questions before he could understand the visions God showed him. Here are some examples: What he saw: A man on a horse in a ravine with red, brown, and white horses behind him. (1:8)What he said:… Read more: Swords in the Back

Lane works among Spanish speaking migrant workers in Alberta. He shared this fascinating story in one of his recent newsletters.  I had finished the latest chronological Bible Study with a group of seasonal workers from Mexico in Southern Alberta. After I finished the formal part of the study, I preached, reminding them of who Jesus was… Read more: I Saw You in a Dream

Christine, a participant in Cohort 7 of the Listening to God course, shared this touching story.  My mother died tragically in a car accident when I was 11 years old. The grief was devastating. A few weeks after her death, I was standing in my bedroom, looking out the window, watching the cars go by… Read more: A Tragic Accident

There is a danger we can fall into when listening to God’s voice. That danger is isolationism: thinking that me and the Holy Spirit is good enough; thinking, that since I can hear God’s voice myself, I do not need other believers. Let me illustrate the danger of this kind of thinking. I grew up… Read more: Lions and Wildebeest

It was Saturday morning, and we were due to fly to the other side of the world—to Toronto—Tuesday evening. This was my second day of feeling sick with all the symptoms of a bad case of flu, or perhaps COVID: fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, and weakness. I felt miserable. On top of that,… Read more: Should I Change My Flight?

Grace, a participant in one of our cohorts, shared the following story:  Recently, when my sister was visiting me, we had an argument. She said, “I’m the only one working on this relationship and you keep throwing bricks at me!” I cannot remember what we had argued about. I also cannot remember what Liz meant… Read more: Listening and Difficult Relationships

When listening to God, one of the key learning points is distinguishing which are God’s thoughts and which are our own. A couple of weeks ago, I was in town, looking for a multi-port fast charger for my tablet and phone. I had brought my tablet with me and tested the charger that the shopkeeper… Read more: Growing in Discernment

I love it when readers submit their stories. One of the Listening to God Newsletter readers shared the following: I lead a community Bible study group. We meet weekly at a friend’s place to read the Bible and pray together. One day, just as were arriving at our friend’s place, I received a text message… Read more: Too Tired to Decide

I am on the board of a small church. One day, the chair of the board called me to discuss an issue. A member had made a request to the church. It would be awkward and potentially unwise for the church to grant the request. But not granting the request might leave the requester feeling… Read more: Solutions for Little Problems

Did you know that the devil seeks to use your pain to stunt you spiritually? Did you know that Jesus loves to talk to you when you are hurting? His words bring healing. Let’s see how this works. You’re small-minded! Last August we were doing a session on inner healing. During that session, Carol shared… Read more: Hearing Jesus When We Hurt

In Week 5 of the Listening to God Course, we examine how God speaks through dreams. Here are some dreams from course participants: I had a dream and when I woke up, though I didn’t remember many details from the dream, I understood I should start taking multivitamins. Even though I had multivitamins at home,… Read more: Do Our Dreams Have Meaning?

“I’m depressed,” Jim said. “How long have you been feeling that way?” I asked. “Ever since I moved to this country.” Jim, Steve, and I were sharing and praying together during the small group time at an international workers conference in South Asia. The day before, Steve had shared deeply, setting the tone for today’s… Read more: “I’m Depressed”

In a recent post I talked about asking the Lord a question as I started my day. A reader named Charlie responded as follows: The other day God caught my attention with a similar thought. I was praying John Stott’s “morning prayer” which begins with the words, “Good morning, heavenly Father. Good morning, Lord Jesus.… Read more: Charlie’s Morning Prayer

The latest Listening to God Course just finished and God certainly showed up during our sessions. Our second last class was on prophecy. Prophecy can be a scary subject for some people. Yet, the Bible makes it clear that prophecy is for us today (Acts 2:17-18; 1 Corinthians 14:1; 1 Thessalonians 5:20). At the most… Read more: Wisdom for Ruth

My friend, Xaver, writes… Recently I traveled by bus between two cities in Asia. During the journey, I checked my bag and couldn’t find my smartphone. The man sitting next to me was my colleague. He prayed for me and then asked me to look in my bag again. I emptied my bag completely but… Read more: A Lost and Found Smartphone

This story comes from a newsletter reader named BB. For her, the key thing was stepping out in obedience. BB says… Last week, when I arrived early for our Church’s Vacation Bible School, I noticed a pickup truck in the almost empty parking lot. I waved to the driver and noticed that it looked like… Read more: The Lady in the Truck

This story is from my friend Jonathan. He writes… As we were leaving very early in the morning for our flight to Pennsylvania, I had an odd hunch that my glasses would break and that I should throw a back-up pair of glasses in my bag. I did and forgot about it. A week later… Read more: Broken Glasses

Stephanie, a participant in Cohort 1 of the Listening to God Course writes: I recently led my daughter through a listening exercise. Afterwards she said, “Well that was different” and needed time to think about its implications. She has a cognitive kind of approach to life, so this was a new way for her to… Read more: A Thinking Person Listens to God

This story is from Samuel, a participant in Cohort 2 of the Listening to God Course. We were deciding on flights for our journey to our holiday destination. Taking the earlier flight would mean less chance of a missed connection in case of a delay. But the earlier flight would also mean a longer wait… Read more: Take the Later Flight

My wife and I were staying with some friends over the Eid-ul Fitr holiday. During my devotions one morning I asked the Lord what he wanted me to do that day. I heard the Lord tell me to pray for the family we were staying with—with them present. Later that morning I had breakfast with… Read more: A Crazy Prayer

You can learn how to hear God’s voice! God wants to speak to you and he didn’t make it difficult. If you want to hear God’s voice, start with a desire to hear, then deal with your fears. Next quiet your heart from all the distractions. Then identify the question that you want to ask.